Bryan Adams

Wednesday 12 March 2008 20.13 EDT
First published on Wednesday 12 March 2008 20.13 EDT

Bryan Adams is normally the budget airline of guitar rockers: he takes audiences where they want to go (back to the Summer of '69, presumably), with no frills to tart up the unspectacular journey. Intriguingly, though, there is another Bryan Adams, and it was this more sophisticated incarnation - who lives in a Chelsea townhouse and has an upcoming exhibition of his photographs at the National Portrait Gallery - who surfaced at this one-off gig.

He started by remarking that he has never played in a church before - well, he should do it more often. The grandeur of St James's compelled him to rise to the occasion, revealing an Adams capable of producing more than pub-rock. The show consisted of him, an acoustic guitar and - because the new album he is promoting is called 11 - exactly 11 songs. The combination brought out the best in him. Despite the common assumption that Adams would not know a nuance if it bit him, the simple acoustic treatment showed that he is fully acquainted with subtlety.

Summer of '69 was an almost folkish glimpse of the past, awash with sweetness and regret - when the audience joined in on the chorus, it felt like a song that had stood the test of time. Run to You, whose lyric weighs up the consequences of adultery, was stark, dramatic and deserving of the standing ovation it received. Adams's fans displayed an enthusiasm that put them on a par with Michael Jackson's following - even new songs were greeted with disproportionate joy, while old ones such as Cuts Like a Knife were cause for writhing in the pews.

It was enough to make you see the man as a bit more than Vancouver's John Cougar Mellencamp. But things should soon be back to normal: as he departed, he said he would be back on the arena circuit next time around.